Pocket knife



Nov. 14, 1950 E. c. ERICKSQN POCKET KNIFE Filed July 27, 1948 IN VEN TOR.

Patented Nov. 14, 1950 Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

POCKET KNIFE Eric C. Erickson, Titusville, Pa., assignor to Queen Cutlery Company, Titusville, Pa.

Application July 27, 1948, Serial No. 40,800

1 Claim.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements and structural refinements in pocket knives, and the principal object of the invention is to facilitate opening of such knives in a convenient and expeditious manner by a simple depression of an actuating button.

This object is achieved by providing resilient means for urging the knife blade to its opened position.

An important feature of'the invention resides in the provision of means for releasably locking the blade in its closed position.

An important advantage of the invention lies in its simplicity of construction, convenience of manipulation, and in its adaptability to economical manufacture.

With the above more important objects and features in view, and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention consists essentially of the arrangement and construction of parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of the invention, showing the same in its opened position;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary cross sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 2-2 in Figure 3;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view, partially broken away, showing the invention in its closed position, and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view, similar to that shown in Figure 3, but illustrating the invention in its opened position.

Like characters of reference are employed to designate like parts in the specification and throughout the several views.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the invention consists of a pocket knife designated generally by the reference character ID, the same embodying in its construction an elongated casing l2 formed with a longitudinally extending pocket or recess l4 so as to accommodate at least the cutting edge portion of a blade I6 when the blade is in its closed position, as indicated in Figure 3 and by the phantom lines IS in Figure 1.

A suitable fulcrum pin 20 pivotally attaches the blade [6 to one end portion of the casing l2, and the open position of the blade is clearly illustrated by the full lines in Figures 1, 2 and 4.

A leaf spring 22 is provided in the pocket l4 of the casing [2, this leaf spring having an arouated end portion 24 which is disposed under a tion. The leaf spring 22 also includes what may be referred to as a free end portion 28 which is engageable with a flat, inner edge portion 30 provided on the blade l6,-matters being so arranged that when the blade I3 is closed, the spring 22 is depressed and the'resiliency thereof urges the blade to its open position, as will be clearly apparent. 1

The essence of novelty in the-invention resides in the provision of means for releasably retaining the blade I6 in its closed position, these means involving the formation of a substantially circular recess 32 in the inner end portion of the blade Hi, this recess being extended to one edge of the blade so as to provide what may be referred to as a pair of spaced, outwardly divergent pressing edges 34, best shown in Figure 4.

A slidable locking pin 36 extends transversely of the casing I2, one end portion of this pin being substantially cylindrical as indicated at 38, while an intermediate portion thereof is flattened and cross-sectionally reduced as indicated at 40, a pair of cam surfaces 42 extending from the intermediate portion 43 to the end portion 38 as is best shown in Figure 4. It is to be noted that the cam surfaces 42 are disposed at the opposite sides of the flattened portion 40, matters are so arranged that' when the blade I6 is brought to its closed position, the aforementioned pressing edges 34 slidably engage the cam surfaces 42 and thereby shift the entire pin 36 in the direction of the arrow 44 shown in Figure 4. As a result, the cross sectionally reduced portion 43 of the pin is free to enter through the passageway between the edges 34 into the recess 32. The pin 36 is provided at one end thereof with a depressible actuating knob or button 46 and a compression spring 48 is interposed between this button and the casing I2, so that after the portion 46 of the pin 36 is in the recess 32, the resiliency of the spring 48 urges the pin 36 in the direction of the arrow 50 f see Figure 4) As a result, the substantially cylindrical portion 33 of the pin 36 is brought into the recess 32, and being substantially equal to the diameter of the recess, the portion 38 of the pin 36 thereafter prevents opening of the blade [6 until such time as the pin 36 is again shifted in the direction of the arrow 44 to permit the portion 40 of the pin to pass between the aforementioned edges 34.

Sliding of the pin 36 in the direction of the arrow 44 is, of course, accomplished by simply depressing the button 46, and if desired, the adjacent side of the casing l2 may be formed with a suitable depression or recess 52 to accommodate the button 46 when so depressed.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the pin 36 will normally retain the blade 16 in its closed position, but by simply depressing the button 46, the resiliency of the aforementioned spring 22 will urge or swing the blade to its opened position. Moreover, after the blade is closed, the pressing edges 34 will slide the pin 36 against the resiliency of the spring 48 to a position where the spring 48 automatically brings the cylindrical portion 38 of the locking pin into the recess 32, so as to retain the blade in its closed position until such time as the button 46 is again depressed.

It is believed that the advantages and use of the invention will be clearly apparent from the foregoing disclosure and accordingly, further description thereof at this point is deemed unnecessary.

departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is: V p r i a In a pocket knife, the combination of an elongated casing, a blade pivoted at one end thereof in said casing and swingable outwardly therefrom, said blade being provided adjacent its pivoted end with a circular recess and with a relatively narrow passage extending from said recess to a longitudinal edge of the blade, a keeper pin slidable transversely of said casing and including a cylindrical portion receivable in said recess, and a sectionally reduced portion extending centrally from said cylindrical portion and receivable in said passage, the end of: said cylindrical portion adjacent said sectionally reduced portion aifording a pair of cam surfaces at the opposite sides of the sectionally reduced portion, and resilient means on said pin for sliding the same to a position wherein said, cylindrical portion is in said recess, said passage having inwardly convergent side walls engageable with said cam surfaces to efiect sliding of said pin against said spring while the blade is swung into said casing.

ERIC C. ERICKSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 744,064 Goldin Nov. 17, 1903 1,603,914 Hermann Oct. 19, 1926 1,701,027 Brown Feb. 5, 1929 

